Honestly, when he mentioned my father’s name, it was no less shocking than discovering Sister Ying was a "dealer."
A "dealer" is someone who specializes in forging and selling counterfeit goods.
I swallowed and asked, "You knew my father?"
"Xiang Tian is your father?" Mr. Yan seemed a bit surprised too.
I nodded.
"Then it's no wonder... besides your Xiang family, there's no one else in this world who can use that kind of aging technique."
He not only knew my father but also knew about my family?
"Who exactly are you?" I couldn't help but ask.
He chuckled and said, "My name is Yan Hongguang... My Yan family and your Xiang family have some ancestral connections. By seniority, you should call me Uncle."
As Yan Hongguang spoke, a touch of kindness appeared on his face.
"Uncle Yan, you knew my father?" I asked impatiently.
"We had some interaction." Yan Hongguang asked, "Your father, is he currently..."
"He has passed away," I replied.
Upon hearing this, Yan Hongguang was taken aback. Then, a hint of sadness flickered in his eyes. "When did that happen?"
"About a year ago..."
I didn't know how close this Yan Hongguang was to my father, nor did I feel comfortable saying too much about my father.
So I added, "He fell gravely ill..."
"Alas!" Yan Hongguang sighed deeply, "Truly, heaven envies talent!"
"What kind of connection did your ancestors have with mine?" I asked.
He smiled and said, "It seems your family didn't tell you much."
I said, "My grandparents passed away when I was very young... and my father rarely talked about our ancestors."
"How old are you this year?" Yan Hongguang asked.
I replied, "I just turned nineteen this year."
"Nineteen, and you already possess half of your father's skill. It seems the Xiang family has a successor."
Yan Hongguang looked at me with growing admiration and emotion.
Then he proceeded to tell me about the origins of the Xiang and Yan families.
During my great-grandfather's generation, the Yan family had sought his appraisal. From then on, the two families established a connection.
They became acquainted through repeated interactions. Later, in my grandfather's generation, the two families still had some contact, though much less.
By my father's generation, the Yan and Xiang families had basically ceased to interact.
The last time Yan Hongguang saw my father, he said I hadn't even been born yet.
At that time, my father was in his rebellious phase. At an appraisal event in Jiangdong, he single-handedly defeated over a dozen highly respected appraisers.
It was during that event that Yan Hongguang met my father.
Listening to Yan Hongguang recount stories of my father's youth, I felt both envy and a sense of regret.
My father was only in his early twenties then, but he had already made a name for himself in the antique circle, being unmatched among the younger generation.
Looking at myself now, I wished I could just find a hole to crawl into.
"I never expected your family to undergo such a drastic change," Yan Hongguang said. "Xiaofei, why did you decide to come to Guangling?"
I said with a wry smile, "After my father passed away, I had no one left in my family... so I decided to come out and make my own way."
Yan Hongguang nodded. "I see. Since you are a descendant of the Xiang family, you couldn't possibly be with An Ying."
Hearing him mention Sister Ying, I couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is going on?"
He took a sip of tea, pondered for a moment, and then slowly explained the entire situation.
An Yuandang was a property of the Yan family, but it had always been managed by An Zhongyi.
Since he was hospitalized, Sister Ying took over all the business.
It was from the moment Sister Ying took over that many high-value fakes began appearing in the Guangling antique market. These fakes were expertly crafted, and they cheated many people.
Subsequently, people became wary, but the fakes continued to flood the market sporadically.
Finally, Bai Zhujing stepped forward to investigate the matter, and the investigation quickly led to An Yuandang.
"An Zhongyi has a younger brother named An Lao Si. This man is not only an expert tomb raider but also highly skilled in forgery," Yan Hongguang said.
I recalled when Sister Ying was dealing with that Mr. Zhang. At that time, Mr. Zhang had asked Sister Ying about the whereabouts of her fourth uncle.
It seemed that at that time, everyone suspected that the fakes circulating in the market were made by An Lao Si.
However, I couldn't understand why, if everyone believed An Lao Si was behind it, the suspicion later shifted to Sister Ying?
As if reading my confusion, Yan Hongguang said, "Until recently, Bai Zhujing found An Lao Si..."
"Found An Lao Si?" I furrowed my brow.
"To be precise, he found his body. Through investigation, it was discovered that An Lao Si had already died in a car accident in another province last year." Yan Hongguang said.
Hearing this, I was stunned. "So everyone suspects that the fakes were released by Ying... An Ying?"
Yan Hongguang nodded. "That's right. However, at that time, Bai Zhujing and the others had no evidence. Furthermore, they had tested An Ying and found her to be a complete novice. They assumed there was someone else directing her from behind, so in order to uncover that person, Bai Zhujing had An Zhongyi's background thoroughly investigated, and also had someone thoroughly investigate this An Ying. In the end..."
At this point, Yan Hongguang paused and looked at me.
"In the end, what?" I asked.
"It was discovered that An Ying was not An Zhongyi's daughter."
"What?"
I was suddenly startled, my mind struggling to process the information.
"Then who is she?"
Yan Hongguang said, "Her identity hasn't been discovered yet. From what I understand, this woman must have known An Zhongyi. By daring to impersonate An Zhongyi's daughter, she had clearly made thorough preparations."
"So, An Ying is her alias, and no one knows her real name?"
Yan Hongguang nodded. "Mm. The day Bai Zhujing brought me in, I met her. The first time I saw her, I knew she couldn't possibly be An Zhongyi's daughter. It's just that at the time, I was hesitant, and An Yuandang was involved. So I didn't expose her then."
He paused and continued, "But who knew that later, while the investigation was still ongoing, she just ran off..."
After listening to Yan Hongguang's account, I organized all the events of this period and came to a conclusion.
Sister Ying impersonated An Zhongyi's daughter, took over An Yuandang, and used this identity to recklessly sell fakes in Guangling.
Subsequently, when the matter came to light, she disappeared without a word.
If what Yan Hongguang said was true, then everything Sister Ying had told me was... a lie?
Thinking about it, I felt deeply hurt.
I had trusted her so much, only for her to turn out to be a liar?!